Hurricane season draws to a close
December 1st marks the end of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season, and what a remarkable season it has been. While the Tampa Bay area was yet again spared a direct impact from a hurricane, Pinellas County’s emergency managers handled their first full activation since the approach of Hurricane Jeanne in 2004.
In mid-August, the National Hurricane Center projected Tropical Storm Fay to skirt Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane. A full activation was called for in the Emergency Operations Center, and Governor Charlie Crist announced a state of emergency for Florida from the EOC media room.
Fay never attained hurricane status and made landfall in southwest Florida. However, it did dump more than 30 inches of rain in parts of Florida, with the areas around Melbourne the hardest hit.
In all, there were 16 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes this season. When compared with the averages of 11 named storms, 6.2 hurricanes and 2.7 major hurricanes, 2008 will go down as an above-average season. 2008 set some records, including:
- The second most destructive year on record ($54 billion in damages), behind only the 2005 season ($128 billion, 2008 dollars)
- The season with the earliest recorded date with three active cyclones (Bertha, Cristobal and Dolly on July 20)
- One of only nine seasons with a major hurricane before August (Bertha)
- The only season with three major hurricanes making landfall in Cuba (Gustav, Ike, Paloma)
- Only the fourth season which used the P-name (1995’s Pablo, 2003’s Peter and 2005’s Philippe)
- The only season to feature a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) in every month from July through November
Individual storm records:
- With Tropical Storm Arthur, the Atlantic saw a named storm form in May in consecutive years for the first time.
- Hurricane Bertha became the longest-lived pre-August Atlantic tropical cyclone on record (17 days).
- Tropical Storm Fay became the first Atlantic tropical cyclone to make landfall on the same U.S. state – Florida – on four separate occasions.
- Hurricane Ike became the third most destructive storm in history ($27 billion), behind Katrina ($89.6 billion, 2008 dollars) and Andrew ($40.7 billion, 2008 dollars).
- Tropical Storm Marco is believed to be the smallest tropical cyclone ever recorded — tropical storm force winds only extended out 10 miles from the center of circulation.
- Hurricane Paloma became the second strongest November hurricane in recorded history behind Hurricane Lenny (1999).
Special holiday preparations
Now that we’ve traded the hurricane season for the holiday season, the last thing on your mind is – quite probably – staying ready for natural or man-made disasters. However, with a little forethought, you can incorporate preparedness into your holiday activities without raising too many eyebrows.
For instance, what do you get for that someone special in your life? Well, there are dozens of radios out there that run on batteries, or can be charged by turning a hand crank or exposing their photo cells to sunlight. Not only are these great for emergencies, but they also come in handy for listening to music on the beach or out at a camp site.
With the switch to digital broadcasting planned for next February, a new portable TV equipped with a digital tuner is another good idea. Besides its obvious use for tuning in to the latest emergency information in the event of a power outage, what else is better to bring to a tailgate party to catch the pregame shows before a Buccaneers or Rays game?
While you are out shopping for those folks on your list, be sure to take advantage of the big sales on batteries. If you have older batteries in your survival kit, use them in the toys, radios and other battery-powered gadgets you are giving during the holiday season and stash the new ones in the survival kit for next year. This way, your kit’s battery supply will be fresh.
Also, it’s a good idea to take a look at the nonperishable food in your survival kit. Believe it or not, nonperishable food has an expiration date. If it is approaching soon, you can use it in your daily cooking or donate it to a local food bank, and buy new supplies through the spring to restock your kit.
Up on the roof
The roof covering, and the deck beneath it, form one of your home's critical shields of protection from high winds and rain. Unfortunately, this shield is often the first to be lost during high winds. Loss of the roof covering, such as shingles, tiles or metal panels makes the house more vulnerable to water damage. The loose roofing materials inevitably become wind-borne projectiles that can damage other structures.
While the loss of roofing can make your home vulnerable to water infiltration, loss of the roof's sheathing, often referred to as decking, can result in excessive damage to your home and your possessions. As wind blows over the roof, uplift forces pull at the roof. These uplift forces try to pull off the roof covering and the roof deck. When the roof decking is blown off, the inside of your home becomes completely exposed to the elements; trusses or rafters may become unstable and the entire roof may collapse.
How do you increase the chances your roof will survive the high winds of a hurricane?
For new roofs, make sure your builder installs a 5/8” thick plywood roof deck screwed or nailed at the proper distance as specified by building codes with ring-shank nails to the roof framing below.
If you are getting new roofing installed, make sure you have the roofer strip all of the shingles down to the bare roof deck. This way, you can inspect the deck for signs of rot which will weaken your roof. Request that the contractor re-nail or screw the deck to the roof framing, as these fasteners may come loose over time.
After that, have the roofer use a special roofing sealer – a sticky black tape – over the joints where the plywood panels meet. In the event you lose your roofing material, this will prevent water from rushing through these joints.
Your contractor will then install a barrier of ‘felt paper’ over the roof decking and start nailing shingles to the roof. Again, be sure to request wind resistant roofing materials and ask the contractor if the shingles and felt paper are nailed as described by the new tougher codes.
If it’s not yet time to replace your roof, you can increase its wind resistance dramatically by going into your attic and placing a bead of construction adhesive where the roof deck meets the roof framing.
Remember to leave the difficult code-specific work to a licensed contractor, and work in your attic now during the cooler months. Temperatures in attics can rise to well over 160 degrees Fahrenheit during the hot summer months.
For more information on how to prepare your home to withstand hurricane winds, visit the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes’ website at www.flash.org.
The county’s Community Development Department also offers low-interest loans of up to $45,000 for home improvements, including items essential to hurricane preparation. Interest rates vary from zero to five percent based on income levels.
Just what does your policy cover?
Now is a great time to pull out your homeowner's insurance policy and review exactly what coverage you have. Four important questions you need to consider are:
- What is my deductible?
- What is my hurricane deductible?
- Do I need flood insurance?
- Do I have enough coverage to replace my home and belongings?
Some key terms you will also need to know include:
- Deductible: This is the amount a policyholder must pay per claim or loss.
- Hurricane Deductible: This deductible is based on the value of the insured property and applies only to hurricane claims.
- Flood Insurance: This policy will pay when flooding occurs from either storm surge or freshwater flooding. Standard homeowner's policies DO NOT cover flood damage. Check with an insurance agent to see if one is required for your home.
- Actual Cash Value: This is the amount needed to replace or repair your property after accounting for depreciation. So, if your roof is 15 years old, and expected to last 20, you would receive only a prorated portion of the replacement cost.
- Replacement Cost: This is the amount needed to replace or repair your property without accounting for depreciation. In this case, the insurer would pay the amount to repair your roof with a system similar to what was damaged (for example, an asphalt shingle roof with a new asphalt shingle roof).
- Ordinance or Law Coverage: If laws or ordinances require repairs or replacements to a damaged home to make it comply with current building codes, this coverage will pay for those improvements. All insurers must offer this coverage. If you decline this coverage, you must sign a waiver form, provided by your agent or carrier.
- Additional Living Expenses (ALE): Some insurance policies provide additional living expense coverage, such as extra costs for food, housing, telephone, transportation (to and from work or school), relocation, storage, utility installation and furniture rental for a temporary residence. The policyholder must keep receipts for expenses and submit them to the insurance company for reimbursement.
Now is the time to also make improvements to your home enabling it to withstand hurricane force winds. Homeowners should check with their insurance agents to determine what measures would offer discounts on their hurricane insurance premium. Typical measures include reinforcements for the roof and any covering for garages, windows and doors.
For more insurance tips and suggestions, read the Consumer Guide to Homeowner Insurance produced by the Florida Department of Financial Services. The guide may be obtained by downloading it from the website at www.myfloridacfo.com or by calling the toll free Florida Department of Financial Services Consumer Helpline at 877-MyFLCFO (1-877-693-5236) and asking for a free copy to be mailed to your home.
Storms in History
Christmas Day Storm, 2004
After the damage and destruction caused by the busy hurricane season of 2004, Floridians were thankful to finally reach the end of the season and turn their thoughts to the holidays. Mother Nature, however, had an interesting surprise in store for storm-weary Floridians.
On Dec. 24, a low pressure system was gathering strength as it moved along the northern Gulf Coast. What made this storm system so interesting is that the cold air that came along with it managed to drop measurable snow on places as far south as Corpus Christi, Texas (5.1 inches) and New Orleans, Louisiana (0.7 inches). Moderate to heavy snow was also reported over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
By the time Dec. 25 rolled around, the weather was bad and started to get worse. Heavy, driving rain and wind gusts clocked upward of 60 miles per hour were common throughout west central Florida. Temperatures plunged into the mid 40s F due to the cold air pouring in behind the storm. Some minor coastal flooding also occurred as winds came onshore, with a surge of 6.1 feet at Clearwater Beach and around 4 feet in the areas around Tampa Bay. More than 36,000 Pinellas County homes were left without power as this storm crossed the peninsula and turned north, paralleling the east coast as a powerful nor’easter.
For more information on this surprise winter storm, visit the Wikipedia page on what is known as the 2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Christmas_Eve_Snowstorm.
What does THAT mean?
Flood zones and evacuation zones or levels: these two terms appear to be so close in meaning that some people use them interchangeably. However, they both refer to very specific, often unrelated things.
Flood zones are areas mapped by FEMA for use in the National Flood Insurance Program. Each flood zone designation, represented by a letter or letters, tells homeowners exactly what the risk is for flooding at their property. In other words, planners determine what percentage chance there is of flooding at your residence over a period of years, regardless of the cause. Storm surge from the Gulf, water overwashing a stream or pond, or excessive rainfall on poorly-drained areas are all considered flood risks. Some areas, such as B, C and X, are considered low-risk flood areas (less than a one percent chance of flooding per year), and flood insurance is not required as a condition of holding a mortgage. High-risk areas (greater than a one percent chance of flooding per year or greater than a 26 percent chance of flooding during the life of a 30-year mortgage) are designated by the letter A with a suffix describing the particular type of flood threat the property is most vulnerable to. For example, if your home’s rating is AO, it is particularly susceptible to flooding from a river or stream. Areas designated by the letter V are also high-risk areas that are subject to coastal flooding.
Evacuation zones are determined by ground elevation and the area’s vulnerability to storm surge from a hurricane. These zones range from A through E and areas that are non-evacuation. The National Hurricane Center uses a model called SLOSH (Sea Lake Overland Surge from Hurricane) to determine just how high a storm surge will be, based on the strength and direction of travel a storm takes. The levels roughly correlate with the Saffir-Simpson category of storm. For instance, a Category 1 storm will require a level A evacuation.
Even though both of these types of zones are determined by different methods and refer to different functions, since they are referred to by letter, homeowners could easily become confused. A home may be located in a non-evacuation zone yet in a flood zone due to the proximity of a nearby stream or pond.
For more detailed information on flood zones, visit the National Flood Insurance Program’s website at www.fema.gov/business/nfip. For more information about finding your evacuation zone, visit www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/knowyourzone.htm.
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